Chief minister M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday asserted that the ties between his DMK party and the Congress “are as strong as ever” and dismissed the suggestion seen in some sections of the media that his national ally was behaving like a “big brother” since winning a comfortable count in the UPA-II.
“To say that the Congress’ attitude towards us is big-brotherly is both imaginary and motivated. The Congress is not behaving like any arrogant big brother. Even during my recent trip to Delhi, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh had received me with much affection. This camaraderie will continue. We will fight the 2011 (state) elections together,” Mr Karunanidhi told this newspaper in an exclusive interview on the eve of his fifth year in office.
Asked about the possibility of elections being advanced, he quipped: “Such a thought has not occurred to me so far. Only you media people are talking about it.”
Regarding the much-talked about retirement plans, the 86-year-old DMK patriarch said it was his deep desire that he should shed official responsibilities to devote his whole time to social work. “But others want me to reconsider that,” he said, adding, “Only time will decide.” To another question whether he would be back as the CM candidate in 2011 and beat the record of his “comrade” Jyoti Basu for the most number of terms in office, he said, “It is a good thing that friends compete in serving people. However, I have not decided on contesting again.”